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Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead enters Official Chart Update Top 10

Wizard Of Oz track heading for the Official Singles Chart Top 10 following the death of Baroness Thatcher.

Wizard Of Oz track heading for the Official Singles Chart Top 10 following the death of Baroness Thatcher.

Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead, from the soundtrack of the 1939 film The Wizard Of Oz, will have climbed to Number 10 in today’s Official Chart Update when it is confirmed later this afternoon.

As reported yesterday, the surge in sales follows a campaign to get the track to Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart following the death of Margaret Thatcher on Monday (April 8). The former British Prime Minister passed away following a stroke. She was 87.

After less than 12 hours of the news of Baroness Thatcher’s death breaking, a version of the track credited to Judy Garland (who played Dorothy Gale in The Wizard Of Oz) appeared in the preliminary Official Singles sales flash at Number 54, while a 1961 cover version by Ella Fitzgerald climbed to 146.

The original 1939 movie recording is now credited to ‘Wizard Of Oz Film Cast’, allowing sales of all releases of the film performance to count towards the same chart position - including sales of the popular versions credited on retail services to both Judy Garland and The Munchkins.

Unlike many retailer specific charts, the Official Singles Chart always combines sales of all versions of the same recording towards one chart position. In this instance, because the recording from the film is over 50 years old and is in the public domain, it has been credited to various different artists across the 30-plus digital retailers who report in to the Official Singles Chart. These versions will be combined for future chart purposes.

For clarity, cover versions of this song – such as the recording by Ella Fitzgerald – continue to count as different recordings and can chart separately.

As of midnight last night (Tuesday, April 9) Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead, credited to the Wizard Of Oz Film Cast, has sold over 10,600 copies, which is roughly 5,000 copies away from a Top 3 placing at this mid-way stage.

The week’s new entries will be counted down on Radio 1’s Official Chart Update with Scott Mills and Jameela Jamil between 3.30 and 4pm today. The cut off point for this week’s Official Chart is midnight Saturday, with the Number 1 being revealed on BBC Radio 1’s Official Chart Show on Sunday afternoon from 4-7pm. The full Official Singles Chart Top 100 will be posted on OfficialCharts.com from 7pm Sunday.

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